1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaging labels having removable sections and, in particular, to a packaging label having a removable section with differential release characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
Mass merchandised packaged goods, typically consumer commodities such as household cleaning products, foods, personal and home care products, and the like, rely heavily on promotional techniques to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Package and label designs, the use of trademarks, logos and slogans, and the use of redeemable coupons are commonly employed in this regard. Coupons which are redeemable for discounts or premiums offer significant incentives to consumers. Such coupons most commonly are found in a secondary source, e.g. a newspaper or magazine, or are directly mailed to the consumer, and must be clipped out by the consumer and brought into the store, where they are redeemed at the point of sale with the purchased item. A recent development to overcome the disadvantages inherent in this type of coupon practice is the instant redeemable coupon, which is affixed to the product itself and removed and redeemed at the point of purchase by the consumer. Instant redeemable coupons are generally of three types: secondary label coupons; externally dispensed coupons (i.e. in-store hang tags); and removable coupon sections of existing packaging labels. External coupons require in-store coupon machines for their distribution. Secondary label coupons, e.g., neck bands and hangers or peel-off stickers, suffer from the disadvantage of requiring additional packaging equipment to affix the label, and, further, a great many products are packaged in such a way that there is insufficient additional room for a separate label. The coupons themselves should have minimum dimensions to facilitate handling by the consumer and cashier. These coupons also must be affixed in such a manner as to be removed easily by the consumer or cashier, yet must not be so susceptible to release that they will fall off the package during manufacturing, handling or stocking. Accordingly, the use of a removable coupon section of an existing label would be preferable; however, the prior art has not yielded a commercially viable coupon. These efforts include free-hanging label extensions and intricate perforation patterns, which have not taken into account variations in substrate and grain pattern. These efforts also have not addressed the need for easy handling and label integrity. Most salient is the need to develop a removable coupon which is readily removed by the consumer, yet which will similarly not prematurely come off during manufacturing, shipping or handling of the product. An additional problem which needs to be overcome in this type of label is the need to ensure the non-removable portion of the label remains securely affixed to the package while the coupon portion is removed, and further that the non-removable label portion remains firmly affixed to the package during subsequent handling so that valuable product usage, handling and/or safety information is preserved. All of these types of coupons must also be of a sufficient size, generally at least about 5.times.9 cm., to allow redemption value and information to be printed thereupon and also to be easily handled by both the consumer and the store clerks redeeming the coupons.
Ray, III et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,679, is typical of the art relating to instant redeemable coupons and describes a laminated structure having a label which is adhesively coated about its entire inner surface, and a peel-off panel with a predetermined tear-out line and an adhesive repellant means provided on the peel-off portion. Otto, U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,367, also describes a laminated peel-off layer having an adhesively affixed label which is water soluble, thus permitting release of the peelable portion by application of water thereto. Price et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,393, similarly describes a peelable on-package coupon having either a release agent or having multiple plies such that the peelable portion removes a portion of the adhesive ply. Corrinet, U.S. Pat. No. 3,110,121, claims a multi-ply container having an adhesively-secured label having a peelable portion thereof with a waxy adhesive resist.
In view of the prior art, there remains a need for a label having an integral coupon which is easily removable and is easily handled by both the consumer and the retail clerks, and which does not require any modification of existing packages or labeling.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a label having a removable coupon portion which resists unintentional removal yet can be readily and easily removed at the point of sale.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a coupon which is easily separable from the package label, allowing the label to remain securely affixed to the package during coupon removal and thereafter.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a label having a removable coupon portion thereof and wherein the label is not required to be adhesively laminated to the container.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a coupon which, once removed, is easily handled, redeemed, stored and submitted for redemption.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a coupon which can be printed on both sides.